Since a conventional application layer multicast method, as detailed in Deering S., “Multicast Routing in Internetworks and Extended LANs,” Proc. ACM SIGCOMM, August 1988, aims to build a low-latency delivery path for a fixed route, this method is not applicable to multicast having an arbitrary node as a source.
On the other hand, in an IP multicast technique utilizing a network device which achieves network-layer multicast, such as the one shown by S. Banerjee, B. Bhattacharjee, and C. Kommareddy, in “Scalable application layer multicast,” In Proc. ACM SIGCOMM, August 2002, a network device such as a router is needed, and costs for introducing such a device is high.
In addition, this technique does not implement a function of reducing data amount by integrating data transmitted from a plurality of sources. As a result, scalability of an application for a mutual collective notification is not secured.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to achieve scalable, reliable, and low-latency multicast at low cost.